[center] A cola between me an [@Solokolos] [/center]

Maddy walked through the front door of Sunny’s making sure to hold the door open for Visage. The place was quaint and rather cute little place, feeling like an old english tea house, which made the name Sunny’s kind of ironic. [color=cadetblue]”What a cute little place.”[/color] Maddy said as she looked around, ornate table cloths and fancy carved chairs somehow just felt like something Visage would like. Maddy led Visage to a table and took a seat [color=cadetblue]”Do you come here often? This place seems pretty posh.”[/color]

[b]”Not often, no. I feel like that would lessen the experience. Like if eggnog was available all year long, it would. . . Make the experience cheap?”[/b] Visage said, adjusting her beanie as she sat down across from Mire. Flipping the coffee cup already on the table over, she leaned back slightly. Almost immediately a waitress walked over, filling the cup from a steaming coffee pot. Motioning a cut off point at three-fourths full, the waitress stopped and looked over at Maddy.

[i]”Do you want some coffee?”[/i]

Maddy covered her mouth and took a moment to think, she’d never had coffee before and didn’t want to get something she might not like, but she also wanted to look semi proper in front of Visage. [color=cadetblue]”Do you make hot chocolate here?”[/color] she asked, her head tilting ever so slightly as she stopped covering her face.

The waitress nodded, [i]”Yes we do. I’ll just go fetch you some.”[/i] she then walked off back to behind the counter.

Maddy’s eyes followed the waitress as she walked off, one of her fingers scratching at the cloth on top of the table. [color=cadetblue]”What are your thoughts on Creep and her misfits?”[/color] Maddy’s tone was hushed and ever so slightly agitated.

Watching the exchange with a slight smile, Visage switched gears, and looked around the room. As the waitress walked away, Maddy spoke up, and Visage listened with slight interest. [i]Work, of course. That’s fair.[/i] She thought, as she considered the question, and how the answer would affect Maddy. [b]”Creep will be Creep. She’ll huff and puff, but it’s better to have her around than to make her into an enemy. I had the choice before you joined of losing part of the gang and Creep, but I’d have become the leader of the Rockers. I decided that I’d rather work under her, and keep her around then make her into a blatant enemy.”[/b] Visage said, slightly hushed.. She started sipping her coffee when the waitress came back and poured the hot chocolate.

[i]”I’ll give you a few minutes to decide what you want off the menu.”[/i] The waitress said, going over to serve the other few customers in the place. Visage thanked her before she left, and waited a bit before continuing.

[b]”Salem is. . . He’s on a short leash with Creep, and he’ll be on a shorter one around me. I’m trying to be friendly of course, but he’s honestly too obvious of a threat. The press will be hard pressed to sell him as anything but lethal if they get a whiff of him. Pester just doesn’t seem useful right now, but I honestly don't have a strong opinion of him. Hell I doubt if he has a strong opinion that wasn’t given to him.”[/b]

Again Visage sipped her coffee, watching Maddy’s response to her words.

Maddy nodded to the waitress as she walked off, and paid close attention to what Visage was saying. It was interesting to hear that Visage had a chance for leadership over the rockers but decided against it to keep another parahuman as an ally, Visage was playing the long game. Personally Maddy thought Creep was alright, but she also couldn’t help but feel like they would end up at odds some times. Then it was to Salem, a short leash was indeed a good idea for that one, not just because of his power either. Maddy noticed how he reacted to a simple schoolyard joke, slurs thrown out during a confrontation may just set the baby off. Pester seemed exactly as Visage said, Maddy shared the lack of opinion on him.

[color=cadetblue]”That sounds about right, though I’ve got a bad feeling Creep isn’t going to appreciate me. I don’t know what it is about her…”[/color] Maddy sipped her hot chocolate. [color=cadetblue]”But what about me? Any thoughts on yours truly?”[/color] Maddy said striking a pose briefly before going back to slowly sipping her hot chocolate.

A smile spread across Visage’s lips at the question, before she leaned forward so that her elbows were resting on the table. [b]”If it wasn’t obvious I like you, and like having you around then I think we both missed some social cues.”[/b] She sounded a bit teasing, but her expression communicated that it was all in good fun. [b]”If you mean as far as your power, with one so versatile as yours have I don’t know if I need to say much.”[/b] She hurried to finish speaking as the waitress came back.

[i]”Are you ready?”[/i] She asked, looking between the two of them.

[b]”We’re ready. Ladies first Maddy.”[/b] Visage said, smiling at her own joke.

Maddy put her hot chocolate down and leaned back into her chair, looking up as the waitress came over. Maddy wasn’t able to muster a smile at the moment so she opted to maintain a rather blank face. [color=cadetblue]”I’ll have a blueberry muffin please, can’t beat hot chocolate and muffins.”[/color] Maddy’s tone was a little absent, like her words were meant to have some emotion behind them but didn’t.

Watching Maddy carefully now, Visage almost didn’t notice it was her turn to order. After beat, she said [b]”I’ll have two eggs over easy and some hash browns”[/b] Before she picked up their menus and handed them to the waitress.

[i]”That’ll be right out.”[/i] The waitress said before walking away.

Maddy looked Visage dead in the eyes, a sort of manic grin creeping its way onto her face. [color=cadetblue]”Now now. Don’t you fucking lie to me. There is a lot more on your mind that you’re not telling me. See I like you Visage, your smart, cunning and cute. I like being around you, I owe you a lot too, my home, my clothes. All of that is because of you.”[/color] Maddy looked back to see her muffin coming and took a sip from her hot chocolate as the waitress place the muffin down on the table.

Maddy nodded to her [color=cadetblue]”Thank you.”[/color] Maddy plucked a piece of the muffin off and chucked it into her mouth before continuing. [color=cadetblue]”Now while I’ve unimaginably grateful for all you’ve given me, I’m not just going to sit here and let you lie to me. I’ve seen your fear, there are thoughts you have about me that you’re not sharing. You spoke of keeping a leash on Salem and I’m going to go out on a whim and say that you’ve probably got one on me too. Or at least you think you have, you’ve been buttering me up quite nicely I have to admit.”[/color] Maddy took a sip from her hot chocolate to help wash the muffin down.

[color=cadetblue]”Look I want this partnership to work, but if you’re going to keep so much information from me, then I don’t know what I’m going to do with you.”[/color] Maddy’s tone wasn't at all aggressive instead being awfully calm. 

Idly, Visage leaned back and listened to Maddy. The grin kind of creeped her out, but she kept a straight face. Despite the words used, she was calm, and Visage reciprocated that calmness, showing no fear on her face. When finished, it was clear that Maddy was at least aware of the game. Obviously just letting her have her fits wasn’t gonna work, how would Maddy respond to reciprocation though? 

[b]”You don’t know what you’re going to do with me?”[/b] She paused, looking over Maddy with almost invasively unimpressed eyes. [b]”What are you gonna do about your landlord?”[/b] The graying mid 40’s man who owned the apartment Maddy currently lived in was suddenly sitting in front of her, taking a sip of Visage’s coffee. [b]”Or that jogger who passes by your apartment almost every morning.”[/b] A tall blonde girl was sitting across from Maddy now, and leaned forward. [b]”You don’t know who I am, and more importantly who I could be.”[/b] Visage was herself again, and in her hand was a leash, leading to Maddy’s throat. Maddy wouldn’t feel a sensation there, but it was still an effective image for Visage to use.

[b]You haven’t noticed the leash because I haven’t pulled on it yet.[/b] She jerked the leash, and took away Maddy’s vision at the same time. She enjoyed a comfortable three seconds looking through Maddy’s eyes before returning vision. [b]”You’ve got my attention though, you want to know what I think of you. You’re not a pawn, pawn’s are disposable. You’re not the king, king’s are essential. You’re my queen right now, and without any other queens on the board just yet, I’m going to keep putting you in places where you can clean up our opposition.”[/b]

Visage took a long drink of her coffee, and then spoke again, her voice playful again. [b]”And you’re not hard to look at.either.[/b]

The waitress brought Visage’s plate over as she finished speaking, and she started to eat slowly.

Maddy’s eye twitched as Visage spoke. The repeatedly switching of appearances obviously intended to intimidate Maddy only made her angry. Though it was kind of funny that Visage thought Maddy wouldn't just cut people down until she found the real Visage. 

What caught Maddy off guard was the sudden loss of vision, her head darted from side to side until the effect ended. When it did Maddy's eyes turned back to Visage, pure rage covered her face. So Visage didn't fear her as much as she thought, and Visage saw Maddy as a chess piece, a queen. [color=cadetblue]”Don't do that. EVER, again… You may be able to blind me, but I can do much worse.”[/color] Maddy's hands trembled as she tried to hold herself back. [color=cadetblue]”I'll play your game, but not as a piece.”[/color] Maddy would pick up her muffin and nibble on the edges.

That answered the question at least, it seemed that Maddy was quite childish. She was all for threats, but when one was made at her she got mad and threw a temper tantrum. Wonderful. Visage was still perturbed though, she wanted to make sure the point was made, the guillotine over Maddy’s head clear. Threatening her outright wouldn’t be the best option though, clearly she wanted a monopoly on threats.[b]”I won’t take away your eyesight anymore then. How would you like to play the game then? Have you decided?”[/b]

Maddy let out a sigh. [color=cadetblue]”I want to be a person. Not a piece, not an underling.”[/color] Maddy's hands were still shaking as she practically strangled her cup of hot chocolate. Visage better cherish this chance Maddy had given her.

[b]”You asked me what I think of Creep and her goons in the context of the Rockers. If I described how I felt about them personality wise, you probably would’ve thought that didn’t answer the question. Then you asked for how I thought of you, and i answered it in the context of the Rockers. Of course I think of you as a person.”[/b] Visage said, seeming sympathetic.[b]”If I don’t think of people strategically inside the gang then we end up with more casualties as a result.”[/b]

Maddy relaxed a lot after Visage finished speaking, god Maddy had almost lost her cool over some misunderstanding. Though at least she found out some more stuff about Visage, but there was one last thing she wanted to know. [color=cadetblue]”That makes sense… Though there is one other thing. What's your actual name?”[/color]

[b]”Sarah,”[/b] Visage said, a slight smile still on her face. [b]”My name is Sarah.”[/b]